The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online: 

Morning            Evening      

Psalm 106:3: Happy are those who act with justice and always do what is right!

We don't often think about the fact that acting with justice and righteousness will actually bring us happiness, but it does! This word for "happy" in Hebrew is "esher" and it denotes a sense of a deep happiness and sense of blessedness. One feels "esher" at the announcement of good news. This is true happiness.  And what better news could there be than to know in our hearts and souls that we acted justly for others and did what we knew to be right?  It is one of the wonders of human life that in serving others we ultimately benefit ourselves. Isn't God's way the best way?  And the happiest? 

~Rebecca+

The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online: 

Morning                Evening      

Romans 5:12-21

Did you notice that the paragraph beginning with vs 15 includes five references to the “free gift.” I confess that those two words are enough to stop me reading any flyer. We’re all wary of things that are supposedly free. We’re quick to ask,
where is the catch?" The great preacher Campbell Morgan once preached at a Welsh mine. He talked about the free gift of God’s grace. His message was simple, if we turn to God and confess our sins, we are reconciled to God, we are saved. One of the miners challenged him after and said, “That just sounds to easy. What’s the catch?” Morgan replied, “How did you get down into the mine today?”  “In an elevator shaft,” the miner said. “And did you pay for the elevator?” asked Morgan, to which the miner replied “no." Then Morgan said that the elevator wasn’t “free." It had been built at enormous expense by the mining company, though it was free for the miners to use. “So, it is with God,” Morgan concluded, “What is free to us came at a great cost to Christ Jesus.”

We are always to treasure the free gift of God’s grace.

Mark

The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online: 

Morning             Evening      

Romans 5:1-11

This passage includes one of St Paul’s great theological words – “reconciliation”.  It is very important to St Paul to stress that, because of what God has done in Christ Jesus, we are reconciled with God. Notice in this passage that it is us who are reconciled to God. We were God’s “enemies”, until Christ died for us. It’s very important that we get this fundamental fact straight. It was not God who was reconciled to us. The death of Jesus was not a sacrifice to an angry God. God was not placated by the death of Jesus, rather Jesus acted to put us right with God.  He acted on our behalf, as Paul says, through Jesus we now have access to God’s grace and we can have peace with God. Let us seek out that peace today.

Mark

The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online: 

Morning            Evening      

John 3:30: "'He must increase, but I must decrease.’"- John the Baptist

Today we commemorate the birth of St. John the Baptist. It's a special day on our calendar due to the importance of this Biblical hero on the life and ministry of Jesus, but it is a lesser known fact that St. John the Baptist was St. Francis of Assisi's patron saint because it was the baptismal name given him by his mother when Francis was baptized. (Note: Francis' father rejected this name and insisted on calling him Francis.) 

When we look at John the Baptist we can see his influence on Francis because John was a man who cared nothing for the praise or glory of human beings (recall his unique attire, preaching, and lifestyle in the wilderness). Francis emulated this in the founding of his "Friars Minor" and his own unique habit and commitment to poverty.  John is well known for saying: "He must increase, but I must decrease" as he refers to Jesus.  This statement summed up John's embrace of humility, which Francis also exemplified in embracing the title, "Fool for Christ."  These men are models to us today of what it looks like to be a committed follower of Jesus. One of the most important steps on this journey is to seek ways to magnify God with our lives by letting go of the need to magnify ourselves in the eyes of others.  Humility is never easy, but it is absolutely central on the path to holiness. Thanks be to God.

~Rebecca+

The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online: 

Morning             Evening      

Matthew 26:19
But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.’

It’s amazing to hear this bold statement of faith from Jesus. What if we had the kind of faith to believe the impossible was actually  possible with God? 

At times, when I begin to feel discouraged by a situation in prayer, I recall this verse and feel encouraged to keep praying and not give up.  What may seem hopeless, or at least very unlikely, may be possible for God...so who am I to judge? 

~Rebecca+

The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online: 

Morning            Evening      

Romans 3:23-24: "...since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus..." 

When I was a little girl I was in a club at our Baptist church called "Awanas" that was like Girl or Boy Scouts for church kids. You could earn badges for your uniform by memorizing verses from the Bible and this verse from Romans was one I learned early on. I remember being struck as a young child by the idea that even though we all sin, we are all given this gift of grace in Jesus (I don't think I knew what justified meant yet!).  Its meaning to me was profound and I realized it was summed up in the children's song we sang: "Jesus loves the little children, ALL the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, we are precious in his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world."  The word "all" was important to me then. Perhaps it is even more important to me now. 

Jesus loves you! 

~Rebecca+

The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online: 

Morning            Evening      

The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online: 

Morning         Evening      

Matthew 18:3-4: "‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'"

Our Scriptures are filled with calls to humble ourselves. In this beloved story Jesus calls the little children to himself and then tells us to humble ourselves like children, looking to them an example. One of the most beautiful things about children is that their minds are open and they are teachable: they recognize they don't know everything and they are hungry to listen and learn. Somewhere along the line many of us as adults stop believing we have something to learn from others, we become entrenched in our opinions and patterns and rail against voices that differ from us, different from what we "know" to be true.   

But what if we were to follow Jesus' call, and embrace the humility and teachability of children once again?  What if we saw ourselves like the children we are in God's eyes, still in need of teaching, and earnestly listened for wisdom in others?  

~Rebecca+

The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online: 

Morning           Evening      

Psalm 78:19-20

"They railed against God and said,  Can God set a table in the wilderness?
True, he struck the rock, the waters gushed out, and the gullies overflowed; but is he able to give bread or to provide meat for his people?"

My youngest children and I have been reading through a children's Bible at bedtime and recently we read the story mentioned here, when God causes water to flow from a rock to quench the thirst of God's people with Moses in desert.  My children were intrigued, "How can water come from a rock?" they asked. And so we talked about God's power and the miracles God has done. With their child-like faith, my four and six year old were completely satisfied with that answer.

It made me think about the miracles I have experienced in my own life...times when God has taken care of me and caused "water" to flow in the dryest of places. It occurred to me that I can be a lot like God's people described in this passage: despite the many miracles God has done for me in the past, I still get worried and caught up with what comes next. "True, God has provided for me in the past - but 'Can God set a table in the wilderness?'"  One of the best ways to strengthen our faith is to recall God's faithfulness in the past and allow that to be an indicator of God's care for us in the future.  

Today, spend some time remembering God's faithfulness and care for you in times past, and let that encourage you into child-like faith as you face the challenges ahead. 

~Rebecca+  

The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online:
​
Morning            Evening      

Psalm 80:3: "Restore us, O God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved."

This verse is our friendly reminder that, despite all our best efforts, we can't "save" ourselves. That doesn't mean we don't work as partners with God - not at all - because we must work and partner with God as followers of Jesus. But if and when we think we can fix everything ourselves, save the world, or restore all that is wrong, we need to be reminded that only God can do that. Our role is to throw ourselves and our lives upon God's love and mercy, and then work with God, leaning on God's power, to find ultimate restoration and salvation. 

This is good news friends! It's not all up to us. We have a role, but God is the King of the Universe. In God alone shall we be saved. Thanks be to God.

~Rebecca +

The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online: 

Morning              Evening      

Galatians 5:25–6:10

In these verses Paul makes a compelling case for pursuing the common good. He encourages his readers not to “compete against one another”. Instead, he says “… whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all.” It could be argued that the increasing emphasis which has been placed in recent years on “individual rights” has led to the undermining of the common good. In a successful community both of these need to be balanced. Societies flourish when these things are successfully held in tension.
​The pandemic has reminded us of the need to pursue the common good. It may be my “right” to choose not to wear a mask, but science encourages us to wear masks to slow the spread of the virus, which is better for society at large. Let’s pray our new “normal” is more balanced, with a greater desire to pursue the good of all, not just the few.

Mark

The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online using these links to Mission St. Clare:           Morning                 Evening      

The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online: 

Morning           Evening      

Galatians 5:13: "For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. "

There is an irony to our freedom in Christ in that, as St. Paul explains, freedom is not license to do whatever we want, but rather, a call to serve others through love. In that sense, we give up our freedom for the sake of others. But those are who free are the only ones who can serve freely, not under compulsion. 

We in America value our freedom and we know that freedom comes at great cost. And we who follow Jesus are called to use our freedom for the sake of others in sacrificial love to become "slaves to one another."  The beautiful vision here is that if we all truly lived out that kind of radical service to each other, no one would be without or in want - no one would be alone, destitute, or oppressed. 

What will it look like to "give up our freedom" to embrace this kind of radical love and servanthood for others today?

~Rebecca+

The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online: 

Morning          Evening      

Ecclesiasts 14:8: "There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people who are treated according to the conduct of the wicked, and there are wicked people who are treated according to the conduct of the righteous."

This description of the vanity and injustice we see on earth reminds me of that beautiful quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."  

In a society where people are often treated by externals (be it class, race, age, or looks) as opposed to one's actual behavior or character, how might we, who follow Jesus, emulate the God of Scripture who says "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature ... for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” ?  How might we reject the "vanity" and injustice of our world and embrace the love and justice God's Word invites us to? 

~Rebecca+

The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online: 

Morning             Evening      

Psalm 56:3
"Whenever I am afraid,  I will put my trust in you."

When my oldest daughter was four years old we visited a children's indoor play area that included a multi-story tube-crawl with an enclosed tube-slide. She entered the structure excitedly and went straight to the top and then suddenly realized she was two stories in the air as she looked through the plastic window below. She became paralyzed with fear and realized the only way "out" was down the very frightening dark tube-slide.  I couldn't see her but waited patiently for her to emerge. It seemed to be taking too long and I started to get worried. Where was she?  It seemed like dozens of other kids had come and gone.  Finally she emerged at the bottom of the slide, visibly shaken and frightened.  We hugged and she looked at me and said, "Mommy, I got stuck at the top! I couldn't move I was so scared. But then I remembered I should pray and ask God for help when I'm afraid. And so I did. And God helped me. And now I'm here."  I thanked God and told her to never forget this moment.  

We're living in a difficult and scary time on many fronts and Scripture speaks to us in the midst of our fears.  Whenever you are afraid, pray - and put your trust in God. It's simple but effective. 

~Rebecca+